Restaurants in Newton

Owner Kitty Huang draws on more than 30 years of restaurant experience to run Jin's Fine Asian Cuisine and Sushi Bar, which opened in Wellesley this year. Zagat recommends sushi combos for lunch and cocktails and Hunan spicy salmon at night at this "family-run outpost" that "attracts families as well as nearby suits." While dodging the floating double-breasted jackets wandering the dining room, families can pick up crabstick nigiri or Red Sox maki, a spicy king crab roll with mango and tuna toppings.:m]]

Though its menu is sprinkled with common dishes such as shrimp tempura and salmon teriyaki that you might find at any Japanese restaurant, Ponzu is anything but typical. Elements of Japanese, Malaysian, Indian, and even European cuisine flood each meal, from roti prata Indian bread topped with curried chicken and potato to more than 30 house special maki rolls and Portuguese-style fish baked in tinfoil. The chefs take a keen interest in their diners’ health as they prepare entrees in vegetable and soy bean oils, avoid adding MSG to dishes, and add weights to the end of chopsticks to boost patrons’ strength. As diners dig into the spread of Eurasian cuisine and clink glasses of sake—Ponzu offers a choice of more than a dozen types including hot and sparkling—they’re surrounded by pale yellow walls and the calming luminosity of pendant lights.

The methods are ancient, but the ingredients are fresh. That's the case at Ten-Ichi Dynamic Kitchen & Bar, whose culinary traditions of hot pot and sushi date back more than a thousand years, and whose dishes are composed of fresh vegetables, fish, and thinly sliced meats. During hot-pot meals, diners simmer noodles, boneless short ribs, and raw shrimp in a pot of hot broth, taking control of their meals the way escaped convicts take control of unlocked tricycles. Diners also share dim sum—small plates of open-faced dumplings, savory pancakes, and steamed-rice crepes. They feast on these meals in a dining room of sleek, marbled surfaces, right down to the sushi bar where chefs assemble maki rolls with spicy yellowtail and salmon tempura.

The concept behind Samba Steak & Sushi House started to take shape in the early 20th century, when Japanese immigrants in Brazil and Peru began mixing local culinary influences with food from home. Simple, health-conscious Japanese cooking techniques mixed with spicier South American flavors, producing dishes seen in Samba's menu of wild-caught seafood, locally sourced produce, and organic sushi rice.

Hibachi chefs roast lobster tails, calamari, and sirloin steak on tabletop grills while diners watch this time-honored practice. In contrast, the sushi chefs incorporate more fusion elements by packing nontraditional ingredients into the specialty maki, such as coconut flakes, marinated red onions, and melted mozzarella cheese.

The hibachi grills' occasional bursts of flame complement the high-ceilinged dining room's predominantly orange- and red-hued walls and the glowing eyes of the head chef. To keep this space full beyond mealtimes, the restaurant also hosts regular events, including DJ performances, karaoke nights, and sushi-making classes.

Ken's Steak House is an improbable success story. Ken and Florence Hanna opened the Lakeside Cafe in 1935, the throes of the Great Depression. Bite by bite, they built a loyal base of customers (who always just called the eatery "Ken's"), and after five years, the restaurant took up residence in a small diner on Route 9, then known as Starvation Alley.

But Ken dreamed of a day when the grimly named strip would flourish. Today, it's known as the "Golden Mile"—and Ken's Steak House itself has mushroomed. The kitchen still serves the salad dressing recipes created by Florence Hanna—now a national line of salad dressings—and Ken's son, Timothy, and his wife are in charge.

Chefs broil and fire-grill prime cuts of steak, marinating the chateaubriand's center cut roast tenderloin in a reduction of port wine, or infusing the 8-ounce filet mignon with the earthy smoked notes of the warm cedar planks it's served on. Seafood options nestle up against their turf counterparts, including bacon-wrapped scallops, a full pound of lobster stuffed with crab and shrimp, and pistachio-crusted Atlantic salmon. Chicken and pasta dishes round out the menu, and diners discover Italian influences and plenty of seafood-pasta plates. The rustic wood paneling harkens back to Ken's Steak House's roots, and the upscale fare and soft light cast from chandeliers make the spot an ideal choice for an anniversary dinner or a piñata's last meal.

Ninety-five percent of Urbanspooners like Tupelo, and nearly 200 Yelpers give it four out of five stars: